The entries are sorted according to the Hebrew alphabet. Prefixes indicating prepositions and articles (such as ב, ד, ה, ש, כ) have generally been removed, with the following exceptions:
Where the abbreviation is incomprehensible or meaningless without the prefix
Where the prefix is so integral to the acronym that variants without it rarely, if ever, occur
For ease of searching and sorting, double letters (ײ and װ) have been treated as if they were two separate letters.
Numeronyms and other abbreviations with numerical elements
Some abbreviations included here are actually gematria (Hebrewnumeronyms), but the number is so closely associated with some noun that it is grammatically used as a noun and is synonymous with it, for example ל"ו, lamed vov.
Other abbreviations contain a variable gematria component alongside other words, like the chapter references פי"א perek yud-alef (chapter 11) or פ"ט perek tet (chapter 9). Rather than list separate entries for every possible gematria, or use only one example number, the gematria component is replaced with [x] to produce (for example) [x]"פ.
Many of the abbreviations here may be similar or identical to those in the other lists of acronyms. In fact, a work written in Yiddish may have Hebrew and Aramaic abbreviations interspersed throughout, much as an Aramaic work may borrow from Hebrew (ex. Talmud, Midrash, Zohar) and Hebrew from Aramaic (ex. Shulchan Aruch, Mishneh Torah). Although somewhat less common than Hebrew abbreviations, some Yiddish material contains Aramaic abbreviations too (for example, Chassidic responsa, commentaries, and other material).
Stylistic Guide and Orthography
There are many different ways that abbreviations, acronyms, and letter words can be notated in Yiddish. Below are some general principles that can guide one in how to denote different types of abbreviations using punctuation.[2]
For weights, measures, and units of currency, no punctuation is required. These should only be used following a number, not when following a word.
For first or last names, use a period (e.g., "י. ל. פּרץ" for "יצחק־לייבוש פּרץ")
For titles and bibliographical items, use a single apostrophe following the first letter
To create a plural of the above, use a single apostrophe following the first letter doubled
When truncating a word to its first syllable, use a single apostrophe following that syllable
If using two or more words, use a double apostrophe before the initial letter of the last word
If an abbreviation has become a word in its own right, (i.e., become an acronym), the apostrophe can be omitted entirely (e.g., "ייִװאָ" for "ייִדישער װיסנשאַפֿטלעכער אינסטיטוט")
International letter words are transliterated and hyphenated together (e.g., "עף-בי-אײַ" for FBI)
There are additionally other abbreviations that utilize single or double apostrophes in various combinations.
List
א
און אַנדערע, א"א (un andere) – and others, et al; etc.[1]
Variant: א"אַנד
.און אַלזא װײַטער, א.א.װ (un alzo veiter) - and so on
.און אזוי װײַטער, א.א.װ (un azoy veiter) - and so on
אויפֿן אַדרעס פֿון, א"אַפֿ (oyfn adres fun) – c/o, in care of[1]
אם-ירצה-הסם, אי"ה (im-yirts(e)-hashem/mirt(se)shem) – God willing[1]
[x]"ספ ,[x] סוף פרק (sof perek [x]) - (Hebrew) the end of chapter [x]
סיאָניסטי סאָציאַליסטי, ס"ס (sionisti sotsialisti) – Zionist Socialist Workers Party. While the initials of this political party are often written as S.S. in Latin letters, this is not to be confused with the German SS, which is an international letter word and written "עס-עס".[2]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Schaechter, Mordkhe (1995). Yiddish II: An Intermediate and Advanced Textbook (Reviseded.). New York: Yiddish Language Resource Center of the League for Yiddish Inc. ISBN1-878775-12-X.
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